Lately I’ve taken up the habit of drinking a big glass of warm water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice first thing in the morning (and all day, actually… but I always make sure I do it first thing in the AM).

This is something I used to do a long time ago when I was first trying to clear my severe acne, because I was very impressed with how beneficial it is.

However, I then got a food sensitivity test, and it said I was mildly sensitive to lemons! So out the window that went and I was afraid of lemons from then on (who knows if lemons really had much of a role in my acne or if I was just paranoid).

However – I’ve gotten over it. While cutting out my food sensitivities did help me to clear my skin, it seems that everything that showed up on that test is a thing of the past, and I eat all the foods freely now without ill effect on my skin. How great is that? It means that we aren’t destined to avoid our food allergies forever. Sensitivities can and do change and go away!

Well, one thing I decided I really wanted to bring back in was the lemon water, and let me tell you why.

1) It Just Tastes Better

The first and most simple explanation of why I enjoy lemon in my water is that a little bit of lemon transforms a boring glass of water into something a little bit more interesting!

2) Rehydrates Your Body After A Long Night

Want to know why I make a point to have my lemon water first thing in the morning before I eat anything? It’s because after a long night without drinking or eating anything, your body is a bit dehydrated when you first wake up. It’s great to rehydrate a bit with a glass of water. It kickstarts and awakens your digestion system, which means that your body will likely absorb more nutrients from your food later on. Some also say the nutrients in the lemon stimulate nerve and brain function, so it’s a good coffee substitute. 

3) It Supports Your Immune System

Lemon is chalk full of Vitamin C, which is a vitamin that your body doesn’t store and so it needs to be replenished throughout the day. Adding a bit of lemon to your water throughout the day is a perfect way to make sure that you are being topped up consistently. And we all know what Vitamin C is famous for – fighting illness. Or in other words, supporting a healthy functioning immune system. If your immune system is functioning properly, it’s less likely to overreact to bacteria on your skin and cause acne and skin breakouts.

4) It’s Alkalizing To the Body

It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense that lemon would be alkalizing – isn’t it acidic? Well, apparently once it’s been metabolized, it becomes alkaline forming. Now, I don’t really believe this stuff about the body needing to be highly alkaline to be healthy, but I do believe that your body needs to be PH balanced to work optimally. Which means we need a mix of alkaline and acidic foods. The majority of foods that we eat are acidic, so it is helpful to make sure you are taking in enough alkaline forming foods in the day! Lemon water will certainly help!

5) It Works as A Digestive Tonic and Liver Purifier

The citrus flavanols in lemon juice are said to cleanse the liver and promote hydrochloric acid production (two extremely important things to healthy, acne free skin!). Plus, the Vitamin C can reduce risk of peptic ulcers.

6) It Makes Your Skin Look Great!

Vitamin C is anti-inflammatory, an anti-oxidant, and plays a huge role in collagen formation. This means that it protects you against wrinkles, skin inflammation and redness, and also can make a big difference in how fast your acne heals and whether it scars or not.

7) It’s a Simple Way to Improve Your Health

If you read about health and healing at all, you’ll notice that there’s are about a zillion different health practices, foods, supplements, or superfoods that different people will promote as the thing to boost your health to the next level. That’s all fine and dandy, but the more little “health things” you learn about, the more you feel like you need to incorporate ALL of them in order to have stunning health and clear skin! But the truth is that you can’t do them all, and if you try to, you’ll go nuts.

So I think it’s important to only choose health-related activities and practices that you actually enjoy and can see yourself sticking to long term. I mean, if you hate lemons, don’t drink lemon water just because I told you to. For me, drinking a glass of water with lemon is easy, tasty, convenient, and makes me feel good. So what is why I’m recommending it to you! Take it or leave it!

Alright – so there you go. Why I love lemon water. Remember to actually use fresh lemons – bottled lemon juice has preservatives that are best avoided! Plus fresh lemons are bound to have more nutrients available to you.

Watch Me Talk About Lemon Water in Video

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB8-iAFo9IE

Note: There has been some discussion about the citric acid in lemon juice potentially eroding your tooth enamel. This isn’t confirmed, but it is making me a bit nervous. It is probably a good idea if you are going to be taking lemon water regularly to drink it from a straw so that it bypasses your teeth.

Do you drink lemon water? If not, are you going to start?